Receptacle holder



June 1, 1965 H. B- STANDL-EY' 3,186,671

RECEPTACLE HOLDER Filed July 12, 1963 INVENTOR. flaw/:50 6i 574M010 jawmw Arraz 5).

United States Patent 3,186,671 RECEPTACLE HOLDER Henderson B. Standley, 552 S. Hillside, Wichita, Kans. Filed July 12, 1963, Ser. No. 294,683 2 Claims. (Ci. 243224) This invention relates to a simple, inexpensive, and sturdy holder'for a generally cylindrical shaped vertical receptacle. Typical'receptacles include, a small fire extinguisher, an ordinary table glass or tumbler, a soft drink bottle, a small size can of an invigorating drink as tomato juice, or a handle bearing cup made of such materials as metal, plastics, glass or paper.

The holder is adapted to be pendantly suspended from horizontal projections which extend from vertical surfaces. The projections include knobs, handles, sliding drawers (as ash tray), Cranks, lighting fixtures etc., found in fixed or movable habitable structures including homes, motels, boats, airplanes, cars, etc.

An object of the invention is to provide a holder which will hold receptacles of somewhat difierent horizontal diameters.

A further object is to provide a holder which is prevented from swinging in too large arcs about its top point of support, due to the shape of top of the hanger.

A further object is to provide a holder which positions the handle of handle bearing cups in a convenient position for lifting the cup.

A further object is to provide a holder which spaces the top periphery of the receptacle away from the hanger, so that oversize covers may be applied to the cup receptacle to keep its contents free from contamination, and at the desired temperature.

A further object is to provide a holder with curved hands which together roughly define an ellipse, which in use can be expanded substantially into a circle to thus hold receptacles of somewhat different diameters.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain simple but novel details of construction and cooperative forms of related parts, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed. It being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of or without sacrificing any of the essential advantages of the invention.

In accomplishing the above and other objects of the present invention, I have provided improved details and dimension of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated as applied to an automobile in accompanying figures of the drawing as applies to an automobile wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of two holders mounted on the knobs of the radio of an automobile, one holder supporting a paper cup with handle, and the other holder for supporting a soft drink bottle.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a holder mounted on a window knob of a door of an automobile.

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are respectively a left side view, a front view and a right side View of the holder and cup on a reduced scale. The latter being shown in dotted lines.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section View on lines 6-6 of FIGURE 4 showing particularly the ellipitical band structure, the parallel base elements and the stop members. The concentric dotted circles show bottom and rnidsections of a small diameter receptacle.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the holder.

Referring now to the drawings, the holder consists of a single wire, bent so as to form, from top to bottom, a vertical back suspension hanger AA, horizontal curved band sections BB, vertical handle guide CC, a paired horizontal bottom support DD, and vertical stops EE at the back ends of bottom supports DD.

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The holder as shown is formed from a single spring wire or rod stock of about 30 to 36 inches long, but it is obvious .that scrap pieces of shorter length could be butt or scraf welded together to given an equal length of wire. The stock may be uncovered of inch to A inch diameter, of bare stainless steel, copper, aluminum etc., or painted or coated or nickel or chrome or gold plated metals.

A resilient material may completely cover the stock, or sleeves of fabric or resilient material may be used only on such portions as would rub against parts of the automobile etc. hanger and the bottom vertical stops.

The holder is monolithic as indicated above and is symmetrical about a vertical alignment plane passing through the highest point of the hanger. The hanger is within a vertical back plane which is perpendicular to the alignment plane.

The hanger A,A has a compound curve at its top, being bent into a rounded top b3, which is symmetrically interrupted (see FIGS. 4 and 7) by an upwardly projecting horizontally narrower rounded tip portion b2, b1. This compound shape allows the hanger to be supported from various sized projections, the tip b1 for example being particularly suitable for suspension from a handle on an automobile (FIG. 2) and the wider rounded shape b2, 53 below the tip being particularly suitable for suspension for the radio knobs etc., on the dash of an automobile (FIG. 1). The narrow rounded tip is clearly shown at b1 and b2, and the rounded top at b3, b3.

A pair of curved side bands (BB) are connected in spaced horizontal relationship with the bottoms of the hanger A,A by connecting portions between bends b4 and b5. The bend b4 is slightly less than and bend b5 is approximately 90. The curved bands B,B are in a plane which may incline up slightly from the horizontal from the bottom of the back hanger A,A toward the front of the holder. The curved bands (BB) form portions of an ellipse (see FIG. 6) whose major axis is horizontal and parallel to the above mentioned back plane of the hanger A,A. Small receptacles thus contact the bands B,B at their back and front portions, and larger receptacles open up the ellipse shape towards a circular configuration. Slightly different diameter receptacles may thus be accommodated in a single holder.

The front portion of the curved bands are connected (at :57) to a pair of vertical handle guides (CC), and the handle guides are connected to a pair of nearly horizontal base members (DD), the latter terminating in upwardly projecting stops E,E. The bends or connections b8 between the handle guides C,C and the base members D,D may be slightly less than 90. The above mentioned slightly acute-angles are not shown in FIGS. 3-5. It is evident that the weight of the receptacle and its contents will straighten out these forementioned angles so that they appear in the side views as right angles, or only slightly greater than right angles. This lack of sag of bands B,B and base D,D from back to front lends an appearance of permanence and strength to this simple structure.

The vertical stops E,E at the ends'of the base members, hold receptacles away from the vertical support surface, thus avoiding marring or scratching of the surfaces of an automobile door or cowl or dash.

I claim:

1. A receptacle holder comprising a rod having a sharp bend intermediate its ends forming a narrow tip with the clearance within the tip being of a size to embrace a small projection for supporting the holder, each portion of said rod diverging from said narrow tip forming a top portion of a size to embrace a larger projection for support therefrom, said rod extending from said top portion These portions include the top of the suspension with less divergence forming hanger sides, said tip, top portion and hanger sides lying in a vertical plane forming a back, a connector extending at a sharp angle forwardly from each hanger side and a curved band extending forwardly 'from each connector in a=plane lying at an acute included angle to said vertical plane with the concave side of each curved band facing the concave side of the other band to leave a handle receiving space between the outer ends ofcthe curved bands, a downwardly extending vertical handle guide extending from the forward end of each curved band for a substantial distance to provide a front for the receptacle holder, and a bottom base member including a portion extending rearwardly from the bottom end of each handle guide to a position adjacent the vertical plane of the back, defining a base plane with the base plane converging rearwardly toward the plane of the curved bands whereby the receptacle holder may be suspended from a small or large supporting proiection on a generally vertical supporting surface to supportingly retain a handled cup or other receptacle on the bottom base member within the curved bands and 4 when a heavy receptacle is placed in the holder the plane of the curved band and plane of the bottom base member may become approximately parallel.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which upwardly extending stops project from the inner ends of the bottom base member portions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 280,434 7/ 83 Zahm 248-302 X 608,138 7 /98 Timberlake 248-302 X 898,775 -9/08 Little, 248-311 1,137,583 4/15 Cox 2483ll 2,021,496 11/35 Anger 248302 X 2,370,822 3/45 Taurman 248 31l X 2,708,037 5/55 Planeta 21141 X 3,011,649 12/61 Porter 248206 X 20 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Examiner. 

1. A RECEPTACLE HOLDER COMPRISING A ROD HAVING A SHARP BEND INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS FORMING A NARROW TIP WITH THE CLEARANCE WITHIN THE TIP BEING OF A SIZE TO EMBRACE A SMALL PROJECTION FOR SUPPORTING THE HOLDER, EACH PORTION OF SAID ROD DIVERGING FROM SAID NARROW TIP FORMING A TOP PORTION OF A SIZE TO EMBRACE A LARGER PROJECTION FOR SUPPORT THEREFROM, SAID ROD EXTENDING FROM SAID TOP PORTION WITH LESS DIVERGENCE FORMING HANGER SIDES, SAID TIP, TOP PORTION AND HANGER SIDES LYING IN A VERTICAL PLANE FORMING A BACK, A CONNECTOR EXTENDING AT A SHARP ANGLE FORWARDLY FROM EACH HANGER SIDE AND A CURVED BEND EXTENDING FORWARDLY FROM EACH CONNECTOR IN A PLANE WITH THE CONACUTE INCLUDED ANGLE TO SAID VERTICAL PLANE WITH THE CONCAVE SIDE OF EACH CURVED BAND FACING THE CONCAVE SIDE OF THE OTHER BAND TO LEAVE A HANDLE RECEIVING SPACE BETWEEN THE OUTER ENDS OF THE CURVED BANDS, A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING VERTICAL HANDLE GUIDE EXTENDING FROM THE FORWARD END OF EACH CURVED BAND FOR A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE TO PROVIDE A FRONT FOR THE RECEPTACLE HOLDER, AND A BOTTOM BASE MEMBER INCLUDING A PORTION EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM END OF EACH HANDLE GUIDE TO A POSITION ADJACENT THE VERTICAL PLANE OF THE BACK, DEFINING A BASE PLANE WITH THE BASE PLANE CONVERGING REARWARDLY TOWARD THE PLANE OF THE CURVED BANDS WHEREBY THE RECEPTACLE HOLDER MAY BE SUSPENDED FROM A SMALL OR LARGE SUPPORTING PROJECTION ON A GENERALLY VERTICAL SUPPORTING SURFACE TO SUPPORTINGLY RETAIN A HANDLED CUP OR OTHER RECEPTACLE ON THE BOTTOM BASE MEMBER WITHIN THE CURVED BANDS AND WHEN A HEAVY RECEPTACLE IS PLACED IN THE HOLDER THE PLANE OF THE CURVED BAND AND PLANE OF THE BOTTOM BASE MEMBER MAY BECOME APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL. 